Crabs?

Z, thanks - good account there by them, and good-to-know tips and reflections.

I am thinking that with the general conditions, small tides, favorable winds, and - so far - the soft patch in the weather saturday morning, it's a good bet - better than BH or Marin, and proven crabbing & fishing.  Just a "stick together" and "steer clear of private boats" be-cautious type of prospect.

So far, it's my preference, anyway.  Could always pack things up to Capitola and paddle out from there, if the Moss Harbor entrance seems too ugly.

ok sorry Craig & Ben!  I checked the swell model today and 12-foot swell by noon on Saturday is way passed 'storm threshold'.  I'm calling out of this one; I'll hook up with your guys when the swell condition is in our favor.  Even with my 4 years experience in ocean kayaking/freediving almost every weekend, I have no stomach for 'big' swell like this sitting in the kayak.  Definitely I wouldn't try 'new' areas when the ocean forecast is not ideal.  Many things can go wrong in unfamiliar places.  One thing I know for sure is that carrying a crab pot no matter how secured it is; when the waves hit it, it creates all sorts of inbalance in your paddling.  The old adage is 'been there, done that'...  You guys have NO FEAR!!! 

Usually the guys who carry VHF marine radio are FEARLESS.  Make sure you charge your radio the night before.  I know my Marine Radio crapped out on me when I needed it most. 

Good Luck!
-Ron del Mundo 

It's all good, Ron.  I hear ya.

My crab gear is collapsible and stows with everything, including crab, fish, and rod, below deck. I have a cell phone working in a dry bag around my neck.

I'm not making a stay or go call until tomorrow.  However, for now, saturday from 7-noon looks do-able for me out of Moss Landing harbor.

I hope Ben and some others can make it....?  Or I will see where others want to go.

you have nuts craig, although I question your sense. If you ever have as much luck with the chicks as you have with the fish, please invite me to your mansion! Now your scheme, it might work, as you say, not much tide swing, tide pretty high, to go out of the moss landing harbour mouth might work. But it can break across the harbour mouth even on no tidal flow.

The wind is forecast south, this usually means ugly water for santa cruz down to moss landing. plus an upwind paddle home.

It could all  change saturday morning but right now you are pushing it when I would not push it myself. I am no bluekayak, but I am pretty close when it comes to dealing with swell.

If you head out of capitola, it will be messy, but not big swell, you can paddle into the wind, drop your traps and head in with the wind, but when you can pick them up, I don't know.  However, you will be generally safe.

This is not the case heading out of moss landing harbour. you get blown or washed in to shore, for whatever reason, you are going to get annihilated. I'm telling you, that unless you have spent many years dodging waves, you have no idea how terrifying it will be to face a winter swell in your kayak, swmming on on a surfboard.  anyway you slice it is is like infantry vs artillery, watch the band of brothers bro!

I have a couple decades of surfing experience, including paddling out at OB when it is 20 feet tall and my instincts are saying somebody will get in trouble here, it is not worth it for a few crabs.

Go to quarry lakes in fremont and nail a few trout if you have to fish. Or go to moss landing, but just plain do not force it. The ocean will spank somebody.

However there is a lot to be said for going and looking for yourself. I have done this many times and just not gone out. That is how you learn the limits of what is possible. Go, just do not force the launch for a few crabs. Only go if your gut tells you you will be safe.
listen hard.

If you bring surf perch gear, there is a good chance you can fish south of the harbour early. the wind often takes a south east offshore flow out of the salinas river valley when there is a low coming in and sucking it out of there. I surfed that stretch many a time during el nino '96, when we had 20 foot swells it seemed almost every weekend during the winter. It is often surf perch fishable, although the current may mean you have to use way more weight than you want to keep your grub on the bottom.

There is also shark fishing in the estuary too.

Have fun, be safe!

J

Thanks J!  The wind is supposed to clock around from South to the North... But if we go, we will definitely not head out if there are breakers at the mouth.  The swell should be NW, so if it's the case, the harbor channel itself should be protected - it's just getting in there, around the jetty but not too far south going in - should work out fine.

Capitola should not be a prob for launching and landing - just not sure how far of a paddle it will be south for crab.  But it's a good plan B if plan A doesn't seem feasible.

Yes, there should also be surf perch closer to Capitola also, although I won't have gear for it.  Crab, I will fish in crappy weather for, but if it's surf perch, I'll just drive back to Oakland and get a latte.

And see if my luck with girls is any better that day.

Will see how forecast conditions shape up by tomorrow at 3pm...

One last touch of advice. If you are in open water, tether yourself to your paddle and paddle to kayak. Prefer to use shock cords. For the launch, DO NOT TETHER TO ANYTHING. If you get rolled either in the surf or the harbor mouth, you want your gear as far from you as possible. Getting hammered in heavy surf like this weekend is forecasted to be, you'll be in a washing machine spin cycle. Good luck.

Do you have a VHF or waterproof arial flares?

-Brian

Thanks Brian!   I am going to see where everyone else wants to go or plans to go.  On the coast.  I have made plans with Ben, so I am waiting to see if he is clear for takeoff Saturday and where he wants to go.

We discussed Bean, which he likes and I am cool with also, but because it's not exactly protected, we need a backup plan.   Davenport was mentioned as a possible; I was just preferring somewhere more proven for crab and fish both, and Moss Landing harbor offers protection launching and landing to Pajaro coast.

If Ben can still make it and prefers Capitola as an option, I am sure if we paddle far enough, we'd find crab and fish both, so that would be cool.  I just heard Brian's suggestion of Moss being closer to the action, and Mooch saying that was better also as long as tides and wind cooperated (which they seem to be doing well), and am throwing that out as a plan B (behind Bean).

I know I am not the only one who sees a window tomorrow of passable weather - not ideal and not for the seasick-prone, but it really doesn't look that bad.  Small tides are the icing on the cake.

The swell models for next weekend look way, way worse - seriously ugly. I wouldn't even go out on a party boat, the way it looks next weekend.   It's November, so I'm not going to sit at home every weekend for the next 3 months and hope for 2-4' swells and no wind.

Brian, I am preferring to not go alone, so it would be cool to see you or anyone else out there.  I have GPS and a cell phone on lanyard, no VHF, and a whistle.  I keep everything stowed, and I do use leashes - except when launching and landing.

If Ben can't make it and no-one wants to go from Moss, I may really like to hit up blue, or someone from up there, for some company crabbing south of dux, launching from Boilinas.  Could try rockfishing there while my 2 pots fill up.

I will probably start a hookup thread around 2 today based on one of those options - but if anyone else has a good crabbing/RF spot for tomorrow (besides the fish market), please feel free to post a hookup for that too!

It's all good, Ron.  I hear ya.

My crab gear is collapsible and stows with everything, including crab, fish, and rod, below deck. I have a cell phone working in a dry bag around my neck.

I'm not making a stay or go call until tomorrow.  However, for now, saturday from 7-noon looks do-able for me out of Moss Landing harbor.

I hope Ben and some others can make it....?  Or I will see where others want to go.

Ok, Craig.  Now I know why you are all good on this.  Darn, what kind of yak you have to be able to stow everything below deck.  You are very streamlined then.  That's really good.  As far as cellphone, I guess '911' is just a push of a button.  Ben will have his Marine VHF radio on hand to call 'nearby' boats/Coast Guard in channel 9 or 16.
I remember breaking down windsurfing equipment at Sherman Island(Rio Vista) on 35 knot wind.  And guess who responded to my distressed call...Monterey Coast Guard (~100 miles away).  You would think that Rio Vista Coast Guard (~2 miles away) will pick up the call.  No, those guys were too busy having latte. 
Now, J here has a "couple of decades" experience riding swells upto 20'.  That's impressive.  I have 17 years of windsurfing experience riding winds upto 40+ knots (mph).  So what am I saying here..., we are all fools and adrenaline junkies!!!  Good luck, and let us know how it goes.  In the meantime, I am trying to contemplate John's (JohnguineaPig) invitation to go freediving/spearfishing despite of this Saturdays swell predictions.  (Now, I'm still trying to figure out how this is all possible;  John must be keeping a 'secret' spot 30-40 feet with plenty of rockcods holing up in this swell condition.  I'm investigating on this now....)
Welcome to the club to 'high testosterone'---if you got balls, you are welcome here.
-Ron

Davenport is a possibility, it is surprisingly easy to launch there, there is a solid channel between the reefs on either side.

I have surfed the reefs on either side, and launched to fish on a pretty big surf day too.  so I feel I know it fairly well.

The reef on the right (looking out), the waves are real soft, if you get into those, you
will not get exploded like you could get @ moss landing. you can probably work you way back into the channel.

The reef on the left, that one is real shallow, watch out, do not venture close there. those waves break hard!
good chance your boat gets broken in half on the left side.

The shorebreak is generally surgy, not a big deal. go straight out in the middle of the cove.

Except for sharks, which neither your nor ben are afraid of, davenport landing is a good way to go. 

GPS for navigating the channell if it is foggy is wise.

A shark hit a windsurfer doing 6 knots there one time...  It has six recorded attacks and thus is one of the most sharky
places on the coast (tomales point has 9 recorded attacks). Davenport is at least as sharky as the Bean, but it is below pigeon point
rather than above, so will be quite a bit more sheltered wave size wise.

I might even join you guys there, but I don't have traps, I would just rockfish.

J

The weather, WAF and swell all seem to be conspiring against me on this one but there is an outside chance.  Please post  where and when you decide to go from and if it is Moss, I might try to join you (especially if the weather cancels my wife's bike ride).  Alternatively, if the swell is big and the wind is up, I might just try to drop some traps from my sailboat around Del Monte Beach in Monterey or Sand City for a few hours.  If I do that I could bring along a few others if people are interested and not willing to kayak in the predicted mess. 

Sorry Craig< Im a no-go for Sat. Life of a house painter. Im free Sunday to Wed. I might hit Lake Mendo on Sun, Looks like a fun crew in the making. 12 hr day - Im beat. Ben

Ben,

Glad you are able to take a break!  Yeah, long day...

The guys at Outdoor Pro Shop were saying that sunday crabbing from the yak down south would be better than Saturday, due to low winds/chop, and swells spaced farther apart.

You definitely doing Mendo Sun. or would you do Moss Landing harbor launch for crab and RF?
I have everything we'd need for 2 pots dropped - I'd give ya the first 5 crab.

Thanks!

I am going to try at Del Monte Beach, MBK, on Saturday morning say  7:30.  I will try to drop a couple of traps and fish the orange and yellow cans and what I can find on the FF.  Conditions permitting and company welcome.  I think this is really one of the safest possibilities with the CG and all the kayaks and local boats there along with lots of common sense.  After all this is where some are planning to do surf launch practice.  If it comes to that, it is still better than work!   

Etienne, good luck and please let us know how it goes!  Sure with I lived closer than an hour to ocean fishing!

But it's a bit long of a drive to MBK for me, for a "maybe," and I would rather not deal with wind and rain and boxed swells while I am dropping pots and trying to fish.  So I was pretty much talked into Sunday instead.

So, out of Moss Sunday, I am hoping others will join?  Yes, it's going to be swelly, but spaced farther apart, low winds/chop, no harsh 3rd set fetch, and it's not gonna be rainy by then, nor will I be all sandy from surf launching.  Overall, coming and going from the harbor I am thinking it will be a more comfortable day on the water.

The forecast has been yo-yoing today - I will check it out tomorrow and see how actual conditions were, how the front is moving - hopefully it will come through in a hurry and be gone by Sat. eve...

If I could do Sunday, I would but I have family commitments.  There's always next week if things don't work out.  I'll post a report either way.  I just got high-speed service at home and posting is much easier to do now.